Maude Charron spent three years at circus school, training to be a high-flying acrobat before injuries left her looking for another pursuit.
On Tuesday, she soared to heights of another sort — the top of an Olympic podium.
The 28-year-old from Rimouski, Que., won gold in the 64kg division in women’s weightlifting.
Charron, the defending champion at both the Commonwealth Games and Pan American Championships, set the pace with a 105-kg hoist in snatch.
Although she failed on her first attempt in clean-and-jerk, she returned two minutes later and was successful on a 128-kg lift. She later added three more kilos, padding her lead.
Charron posted a combined total to 236 kg, four better than any of her competitors.
Charron’s triumph marks Canada’s eighth medal at Tokyo 2020. This is the second gold, following Maggie Mac Neil’s victory in the pool.